Velocity Frequent Flyer has an excellent and very useful Family Points Pooling feature. It can offer huge benefits to couples and families trying to build their Velocity Points and Status Credits balances.

Another family benefit is Family Points Transfers, which allow on-demand transfers of Velocity Points between Velocity accounts.
Neither is complex to set up. This guide runs through how to do both and some of the example uses and family benefits.

What is Velocity Points Pooling?
Family Points Pooling is set up with a beneficiary (the person who will receiving points and status) and contributors (those who will be adding their points and status). The beneficiary is most often the one who does the most travelling.
Family Points Pooling is a nifty feature of Velocity and is designed to get your whole family loyal to the airline. It does this by allowing members in the same household to link accounts to collect and combine points and Status Credits between family members.

Velocity states that a family pool may consist of up to six people, including:
- two adults over 18 years of age; and
- foud children under 18 years of age.
When a child turns 18, they will be automatically removed and you may add or swap them for another member. Once the pool has been set up and a beneficiary receives points from contributors, Points Pooling cannot then be reversed.
How does Virgin Family Points Pooling work?
Using Family Pooling means that every time family members earn points and Status Credits, they will automatically credited into the indicated account. The head of household manages the points and receives the full Status Credits for the family group, allowing them to reach Velocity elite status much faster.
All points earned into all household member’s Velocity accounts are pooled automatically on an ongoing basis. That includes those from credit card sign-up bonuses.
This is especially powerful for anyone paying for flights for a full family on Virgin Australia or one of their partners where you would otherwise earn Status Credits into individual accounts. For example, this screenshot shows the result of Family Points Pooling for a paid Business Class trip from Sydney to London with Etihad:

Admittedly, this is an extreme example, as few people travel in paid Business Class with their family. However, you can see that the benefits are multiplied significantly by using Family Points Pooling.
How to set up Velocity Family Points Pooling
- Decide who will be the beneficiary of the Points and Status Credits Pooling
- Each contributor must log into their Velocity account and navigate to Family Pooling in My Velocity
- Follow the three easy prompts to confirm the details of your Family Points Pooling
How to use Family Points Pooling to share status earn
Another upside to Family Points Pooling is that Status Credits from everyone’s travel across the pool are combined to the beneficiary’s account. This means they earn status much faster—and can potentially then guest other family pool members into lounges and share other status benefits if travelling together.
Updates to the pool setup can be made at any time. This means you can reorganise who the beneficiary or the contributors are if you are looking to improve another member’s status once you’ve hit your own status target. That way they can enjoy some of the perks that come along with achieving Velocity Silver, Gold or Platinum status.

Remember that if your family member is close to a status upgrade, you may want to wait to set up pooling. That’s because their points/credits will automatically be given to you and they would not be able to achieve the next level.
Does Qantas Frequent Flyer have family pooling?
Qantas doesn’t allow household accounts or pooling like Velocity, but they do offer the ability to transfer points to another nominated family member. Note that Qantas may do spot checks on transfers and accounts to ensure you are actually transferring to an eligible family member.

Which airlines offer family pooling of points/miles?
Etihad Guest, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Emirates Skywards, British Airways Executive Club, ANA Mileage Club and JAL Mileage Bank allow you to combine points/miles with family members. There are other frequent flyer programs too but these are the most relevant to an Australian audience.
How to use Velocity Family Points Transfers
Velocity Family Points Transfers are a little different to Family Points Pooling. They don’t require you to link your Velocity accounts on an ongoing basis to merge your balances.
You can make up to four transfers per year, which are free when performed online. There’s a minimum transfer of 5,000 points, and a maximum of 125,000 points.
The transfer is initiated from Link & Transfer > Family Points Transfer once you are logged into your Velocity account. You’ll perform the transfer from the account of the member who is transferring the points out.

You are required to input the recipient’s details and confirm they are an eligible family member before making the transfer.
Should you use Family Points Pooling or Transfers?
The definition of family in both cases is the same across either system. An eligible family member may be any of the following:
- husband/wife/domestic partner/de facto
- parent/child
- brother/sister
- grandparent/grandchild
- son-/daughter-in-law
- brother-/sister-in-law
- father-/mother-in-law
- uncle/aunt
- nephew/niece
- first cousin
- any foster, step or adopted relationship in any of these categories
All members must reside at the same home address. Proof of this may be requested if Velocity suspects any wrongdoing.

Advantages of Family Points Pooling
Family Points Pooling is much simpler to deal with on an ongoing basis. It requires no admin to keep on top of and is ideal for families in which there is a primary travelling family member. Everyone must live at the same address.
The downside is the more fixed nature of the status and points balances, which cannot be redistributed once pooled together. If that’s not a concern, go for family pooling.
Advantages of Family Transfers
The upside of Family Points Transfers is the additional flexibility for points balance management. Family Transfers allow you to combine a wider range of family members’ balances, including those not at the same address.
However, note the restrictions on the minimum and maximum transfer amounts and frequency of calendar-year transfers to be able to combine points. Furthermore, Status Credits cannot be transferred between family members.
A full list of Velocity Frequent Flyer family benefits
- Family Points Pooling (this guide)
- Family Points Transfers (this guide)
- Membership pause for parental leave
- Gold and Platinum member benefits, including:
- family-friendly lounge access
- guaranteed Economy Reward seats for an annual family trip
- companion Gold and Platinum membership
Summing up
Velocity Frequent Flyer’s Family Points Pooling feature rewards households for shifting their full loyalty to Virgin Australia and their partners, including points earned from credit cards.
Family Points Transfers allow more flexibility, but you need to note the restrictions on transfer amounts and frequency.
In either system, the terms around eligible family members need to be acknowledged. While there are no hard checks on family members other than the address requirement for pooling, you’ll need to decide how comfortable you are skirting these rules if you decide to combine balances from further afield. As such, I’d recommend against it.
Remembering that Family Points Pooling and Transfers exist is a key part of managing and growing your Velocity Points balance to a usable amount for a best-use redemption.
I have around 140 and my wife has 470. If we pool right now, do my 140 Status credits go to her now or is it only credits I earn from flights from now on (not the past 140 credits)?
Thanks Ron
We are unlikely to be able to retain gold individually with our future travel plans, however I’m flying to the UK shortly with Singapore which will give me some extra status credits.
Whats the best way for at least 1 of us to retain gold for a further year (or one of us to hit platinum).
Thanks
Mark
I have
Me = 27,599 points / Platinum status (review date 24 Sept 2018) / Status credit = 312
Wife = 0 points / Red status
Daughter = 1,510 points / Red status
Flybuys points = 41,752
I have two mobiles with Virgin Aus and paying $64 / month total.
How can I get around the 5000 minimum limit to transfer my daughter’s 1510 points to me? Can I transfer 3490 to her and then 5000 back from her to me?
I am hoping to fly to Europe (probably BHX) on 15th Sept 2018 with my wife. Daughter can stay at home going green with envy. 🙂
for the family pooling, I have parents, in laws and wife all frequently flying with VA. Since the limitation of 2 adults, can I add one of them in the family pooling before they fly and change to another once the status credits and points been “pooling” into my account?
“Updates to the pool setup can be made at any time, so you can reorganize who the beneficiary or the contributors are if looking to improve another member’s status once you’ve hit your own status target.”
Sounds like your plan is possible.
Technically, all members of the pool have to use the same address but they will only audit if the find suspicious activities. Quote “All members must reside at the same home address and proof of this may be requested if Velocity suspects any wrong-doing.”
Gina.
I have 2 questions….
Firstly, if you have family pooling and a contributor wants to travel alone without the beneficiary, what status credits do they have? The same as the beneficiary or none, or something in between?
Secondly, can we pool points and status credits from the past or does the pooling start from when you join the program?
Thanks, Gina.
Ive set up family pooling a while ago and now want to add another family member but there isn’t any button or tab that allows this. Can you please assist.
Thanks
Dave
I have a 3 and 5 year old and flying in a week – do i actually have to setup velocity accounts for each of them to link family pooling?
Thanks
Just wondering if it is worth us having two silvers or just one gold.
I have had little interest in accruing status credits as most of our flights are with various carries as we just take the cheapest deal we can find. We fly to China a few times per year though and with the planned codeshare of Virgin Aus and Hainan Airlines I am anticipating being able to use their codeshare regularly and may be able to obtain some FF status if I pool with my wife.
So once I stop pooling with my SIL I can then bring over my wifes points and status credits (once we have more) and then just transfer points from my SIL (who will probably not have any/many status credits) when ever we want. Is that the best way?
From the terms:
13.5 A maximum of five (5) new Contributing Accounts may be linked to a Beneficiary Account in any Calendar Year.
13.6 A Contributing Account may be linked to a maximum of two (2) new Beneficiary Accounts in any Calendar Year.
I’m a current Velocity Gold member. Thanks to being the beneficiary of my partner’s pooled status points, I’ve requalified for another year of Gold six months in advance.
However, given that a fair chunk of my rolling status credits are due to expire next month (and my foreseeable travel schedule does not include much long-haul or business), I’m unlikely to hit Platinum.
Given this, would you advise redirecting pooling to my partner, who is a Red? Am I correct in presuming I wouldn’t need to collect status again until my next 12mths of Gold commences, in 6mths’ time?
Cheers,
Phil
That said, if you know you won’t hit Platinum in the next 6 months, then the only reason to push the SC’s over to your partner would be if you think they have a chance of hitting Silver…
I am living with my partner in which we have a child but not married. Will we be eligible for family pooling?